SELF-HEAL 75 



ESSENTIAL SPECIFIC CHARACTERS: 



242. Rhinanthus Crista-Galli, L. Stem erect, leaves lanceolate, 

 serrate, opposite, flowers yellow, in a spike, with ovate bracts exceeding 

 the calyx, the lobes of upper corolla-lip round. 



Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris, L.) 



This pretty Arctic species has been preserved in the early deposits, 

 in Neolithic beds at Edinburgh, and Roman deposits at Silchester. 

 It is found at present in the Arctic and Temperate Zones in Arctic 

 Europe, N. Africa, Temperate Asia, America, and Australia, being thus 

 widespread. It is very common in every part of Great Britain, and in 

 Yorkshire is found up to an altitude of 2400 ft. 



Self-heal is a representative meadow species, which is common in 

 fields, meadows, and pastures at different elevations. It is quite at 

 home in wet meadows which merge into a marsh formation. 



It is common in clamp woods also; but it is also frequent on lawns 

 and turfy ground, where it covers wide areas, often to the exclusion of 

 the grass itself. 



The habit of Self-heal is either erect or prostrate. The whole 

 plant is more or less hairy. The rootstock is creeping. The stems 

 are erect or ascending, the branches often short. The leaves are egg- 

 shaped to oblong, blunt, stalked, nearly entire or with a few teeth or 

 divided. The upper leaves are stalkless. 



The flowers are violet, purple, rarely white, in cylindrical whorls 

 forming a dense spike, with two leaves at the base. The calyx is 

 reddish-purple, with the very small teeth fringed with a few hairs. 

 There are two kidney-shaped, or egg-shaped to heart-shaped, broad, 

 long pointed bracts below each whorl which are fringed with hairs and 

 green with purple edges. 



The upper lip of the calyx has short, blunt teeth, the lower lip egg- 

 shaped to lance-shaped, with blunt, pointed, teeth. The corolla is less 

 than twice as long as the calyx. The nutlets are smooth and oblong. 



Self-heal is about i ft. high. Flowers may be found between July 

 and September. The plant is perennial, and propagated by division. 



The flowers of Prunella are dimorphic. There are large, complete 

 flowers, and others smaller and rare, which are female. In the latter 

 only functionless stamens occur. The tube is 4-5 mm. long, and the 

 style projects above and beyond the upper lip, the two stigmas being 

 wide-spreading. 



In the complete flowers the tube is longer, 7-8 mm. The longer 



